“Then, could I perhaps spend some spirit stones, and have that… underprivileged one come into contact with me… perhaps a fleeting touch?”

Yet, merely contemplating the act of physical contact, Le Mulan’s mind conjured the scene from the arena. A wave of unbearable discomfort washed over her.

Her abruptly halted breathing technique seemed to instinctively resume its cycle, aiding her in escaping this torment.

Previously, while harboring distaste, Le Mulan could maintain a semblance of normal conversation with Zhang Yu. But since the arena incident, she found herself experiencing a powerful, visceral aversion to touching him.

“No, I must shift my perspective, overcome this weakness!”

“How can a heiress fear a pauper?”

With that thought, Le Mulan steeled her resolve, halting her breathing technique once more.

“But I mustn’t be too hasty; I must proceed gradually!”

“Perhaps I could observe their training? No… even observing from proximity is somewhat nauseating; I need to ease into it further!”

“Or maybe, before actual contact, I could acquire some of Zhang Yu’s attire? Just the thought of garments saturated with his shed skin, oils, scent, sweat, and other foulness fills Le Mulan with utter revulsion!”

“No, still too repulsive; I must further lower the difficulty!”

After repeated contemplation, Le Mulan decided to first download photos of Zhang Yu from his social circle, beginning with a daily viewing of the pauper’s visage.

“Once I no longer feel disgust upon gazing at his images, perhaps I can upgrade, tentatively attempting to touch his garments!”

On his return journey, Zhang Yu, beholding the five thousand spirit stones that had materialized in his account, first acquired a weighted training suit. After all, his previous one had been damaged in the martial arts competition.

His savings decreased by two thousand, leaving him with slightly less than thirteen thousand.

Upon receiving the weighted training suit at his dwelling, Zhang Yu immediately donned it and returned to the derelict edifice for cultivation.

Late that night, as the twenty-four-hour cooldown elapsed, he was at long last capable of switching the specialized skill of the Feathered Tome to the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi.

This Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi possessed only a solitary technique, yet this very technique demanded the synchronized coordination of muscles throughout the entire body. Each muscle, each tendon, must simultaneously stretch or contract, placing extremely high demands on the cultivator’s bodily control.

But for Zhang Yu…

“Difficult?”

“The greater the difficulty, the better! How else can I demonstrate the chasm in innate talent between myself and others?”

Zhang Yu merely stood in place, feet shoulder-width apart, hands naturally drooping, and then, following the instructions in the electronic manual, commenced mobilizing his muscles and tendons throughout his body.

But in his initial attempts, he was utterly unable to accomplish this. He felt nothing but chaos throughout his body, either omitting the muscles in his legs or forgetting the tendons in his hands.

Had it been the original Zhang Yu, to self-teach this Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, he would have needed to train and subdue each muscle group separately, eventually integrating them into a comprehensive training regimen, which might have taken several months.

But the current Zhang Yu, after merely practicing roughly once, felt as though he had been electrified throughout his body. A multitude of memories and experiences regarding how to control his muscles flooded his mind.

Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi mastered! At this moment, he felt that his control over his muscles and tendons had reached an unprecedented height.

Within the ruined edifice.

As Zhang Yu exerted force once more, a resounding “boom” reverberated within his body.

It was the sound of all the muscles and tendons exerting force and stretching in unison.

Zhang Yu’s entire body stretched upwards several inches in that instant, as though a leather ball had been filled with a burst of air, expanding slightly. That burst of air was the force emanating from his muscles.

“Too simple, again!”

Zhang Yu rejoiced inwardly, exerting force throughout his body once more.

Accompanying the constant pulsation of his muscles, his blood grew increasingly heated, causing a plume of white mist to emanate from his body in the frigid night air.

He knew that this was the effect of the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, using the muscles to drive the blood, and the blood to drive the bone marrow, ultimately strengthening the muscles, bones, and enhancing physical strength and explosive power.

In the blink of an eye, he exerted force continuously ten times, elevating the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi to level 2.

But Zhang Yu also felt a wave of exhaustion throughout his body, as though he had just fought a great battle with Song Hailong.

“Body Refinement techniques are indeed more strenuous to cultivate than combat techniques!”

“Each time you practice this body refinement Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, it’s as though all the flesh and blood throughout your body explodes with full force, consuming a great deal of physical strength!”

Zhang Yu could only sit down, focusing on cultivating his mind to enhance his Dao Heart, while seizing the time to replenish his strength.

Half an hour later, feeling that he had regained his strength, he stood up once more, resuming the cultivation of Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi.

In the blink of an eye, the night passed. Although he had to rest for a period of time after every ten or so repetitions, Zhang Yu still intermittently elevated the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi to level 6 (43/60).

At this moment, Zhang Yu’s body trembled, his blood surging, as though a wave of sound had erupted.

Zhang Yu exhaled a long breath, feeling a wave of weakness throughout his body.

“Exhausted!”

“Starved!”

In the canteen of Songyang High School, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were devouring synthetic food with gusto.

As for their former disdain, they could now only utter the phrase, “How fragrant!”

After all, the current synthetic food was not only less unpalatable than it used to be, but also cheap, convenient, and nutritious, perfectly suitable for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who had now begun to focus on body refinement.

However, compared to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who were eating with relish, Qian Shen and Zhao Tianxing, sitting across from them, wore gloomy expressions, their appetites gone.

This was because, after attending the supplementary lessons for the sports competition team after school yesterday, they had finally learned what the special training program was, after signing various confidentiality agreements.

At this moment, Zhao Tianxing felt a sense of suffocation whenever he recalled what he had learned yesterday.

The so-called special training program involved older students providing muscle fibers, which were then transplanted into younger students using Songyang High School’s advanced Xiantian technology, fusing with their original muscle fibers.

With the support of this Xiantian technology, the fusion could not only immediately enhance physical strength, but the fused muscles could also continue to be cultivated, constantly improving physical strength.
In essence, they would transplant muscle fibers from the second-year students into Zhao Tianxing and his peers, fusing them with their existing musculature. This would gradually bestow upon them a fraction of the enhanced physique the second-year students had cultivated through an additional year of rigorous training.

To put it bluntly, first-year students could purchase the flesh of impoverished second-year students, while second-year students could acquire the flesh of destitute third-year students.

This was the Special Cultivation Program – a plan that Zhao Tianxing found unbelievably brutal and savage.

His horror intensified after perusing the price list the previous day.

The names of numerous second-year students, accompanied by numerical values and prices for specific muscle groups – trapezius, deltoid, supraspinatus, biceps brachii, and others – were neatly arranged in rows, resembling nothing so much as a menu from a macabre eatery.

Most unsettlingly, Zhao Tianxing had even spotted Shuang Youpeng, the former top student of their year, listed among them.

The whole affair sent his mind reeling.

He vividly recalled his conversation with Lan Ling, alongside Qian Shen.

Lan Ling, the top athlete of the second year and a member of the Athletics Competition Team, was one of the enforcers of the Special Cultivation Program.

In comparison, Wang Hai merely oversaw the daily training of the Competition Team, lacking true authority within the Special Cultivation Program, his reputation as a premier athletics instructor solely bolstered by the team’s achievements.

Zhao Tianxing: “If we buy their flesh, what happens to them?”

Lan Ling replied indifferently, “Don’t worry, we’ll leave them the ‘root.’ They can eat and train, and it’ll grow back eventually!”

Zhao Tianxing’s breathing quickened. “Just grow flesh, cut flesh, grow flesh, cut flesh… isn’t that the same as cattle or sheep?”

Lan Ling chuckled. “Humans are much more valuable than cattle and sheep. They make a good profit from this price!”

“It’s not about the price!”

Qian Shen couldn’t help but interject, “Buying flesh like this, isn’t that just spending money to buy physical strength? It’s like buying sports credits with money!”

Lan Ling stated matter-of-factly, “Indeed, you could say you’re buying credits with money!”

Qian Shen questioned, “How can you buy credits with money?”

Lan Ling said calmly, “Of course, you can buy credits with money!”

“Otherwise, where do you think your cultivation comes from? The elixirs you consume, the martial arts techniques you practice, the knowledge you acquire… where does it all come from?”

“Bought with money!”

“And why do you think you’re standing here, instead of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who have better grades than you?”

“Simply because you are wealthier, because your parents can afford the sponsorship fees!”

“Money can buy better grades, it can buy credits!”

“Sponsorship fees?”

Zhao Tianxing paused slightly, realizing the implications of his parents’ recent plans to sell the house, and he understood everything.

Qian Shen, however, still wore an expression of disbelief.

He Dayou, who was already aware of the situation, chimed in, “Alright, Qian Shen, that’s just how the world is. Money is the most important thing.

If you’re afraid others will find out you bought flesh, you can rest assured. Everyone has signed a confidentiality agreement under the witness of the True Gods. No one will say anything!”

As the son of a school board member, he smiled at Lan Ling and said, “Senior, I’ve made my selections. After signing the contract later, can the transplant surgery begin today?”

To formally begin the Special Cultivation Program and commence muscle transplantation, a contract must first be signed, which includes the school and student council’s right to decide the universities and majors the signees can apply for in the future.

He Dayou, of course, had no worries about this.

As the son of a school board member, he had no restrictions on university and major selection.

However… he glanced instinctively at Zhao Tianxing, knowing that if the latter wanted to join the Competition Team and participate in the Special Cultivation Program, his university choices would undoubtedly be limited.

Simply because his family wasn’t wealthy enough, merely scraping together the sponsorship fee.

He Dayou thought to himself, “A small family like yours is still far from the true wealthy circles of Songyang City!”

Lan Ling, hearing He Dayou’s question, nodded and said, “A small portion of the transplant will be performed every day from now on. You’ll feel your physical strength increasing dramatically every moment!”